Tomas Cordeiro

Sep 20, 2017

1. What were the top factors in you deciding to come to Ashland University?

I always had interest of coming to the United States since I was young. The main factor that made me decide to come here was how much easier it is to conciliate my academic life with soccer over here than back in Portugal.

2. What is it like being on campus and being in America after growing up overseas?

Challenging. People might not realize, but it is hard to adjust to a culture that you are not used to, how different our values, education, opinions and habits might be. But luckily, I had people that helped me adapt, and that made the challenge easier to handle.

3. What are the differences of playing soccer overseas compared to playing here in America?

I would say that the main difference is in the sport physicality. Back in Europe, soccer is more technical, whereas over here, it is more physical.

4. What are some of the things you have to adjust to being injured?

The hardest part is definitely not being able to practice and play for such a long time, and being on the sideline for the entire season while watching all your friends and teammates play doesn’t help. I’ve always been a person who plays with a soccer ball all the time and that likes to exercise. The fact that I’m deprived of doing certain things, it has proven to be very difficult.

5. What advice would you give a recruit or an incoming freshman about college and your sport?

Just that they should make sure they are 110-percent ready to be fully committed and ready to go. College is harder than high school, and definitely demands more from you. Also, our coach demands a lot from the team so that we can achieve our goals. But other than that, I would tell them to enjoy it and make sure you appreciate every single day, because four years go by so fast and you should be sure to make the most out of it.